join patreon.com/worldoffanfiction for advanced chapters and to support the daily update
Shen Tang gasped. Only now did she understand why Qi Shan's face was so dark. Such utter humiliation, who could bear it? "A defeated royal family leading all officials to surrender is an honor that the victorious nation should enjoy. Presumably, the Xin Kingdom ruler, however unwilling, would not resist. But this Zheng Qiao... is he mad?"
Qi Shan sneered, "I think he's just unwilling to let it go..." The humiliation he suffered in Xin Kingdom back then, he wanted Xin Kingdom to repay it ten, a hundred times over, and for Xin Kingdom to be nailed to the pillar of historical shame.
Shen Tang said angrily, "This is too despicable!" A mere "despicable" wasn't enough to describe Zheng Qiao's madness. Shen Tang only felt that this person was malicious, narrow-minded, and disgusting.
What did "face bound and jade disc in mouth" mean? Simply put, it meant having one's hands tied behind their back and a piece of jade in their mouth—in funeral customs, people believed that jade in the mouth of a corpse could prevent its decay, and also signify the deceased's noble status—to surrender to the victorious nation in this manner. In the actual implementation, one generally had to bare their upper body, signifying they carried no weapons, and also implying they were a "lamb to be slaughtered." Truly entrusting one's life, leaving oneself at the mercy of others, to be killed or flayed as they pleased.
And now, Zheng Qiao was forcing the Xin Kingdom ruler to abdicate to the royal princess—a female without Literary Heart or Martial Courage, and also the Xin Kingdom ruler's only daughter—to make her bare her body, publicly hand over the surrender document, official seals, household registers, and national treasury. This was undoubtedly trampling and humiliating the dignity of the Xin Kingdom's survivors, leaving no room for reprieve.
Qi Shan sneered, staring at the tea bowl in his hand, exerting immense self-control not to crush it. He inhaled deeply several times to calm the volcanic anger surging within him: "Growing up in the deep palace, an 'external favorite' sycophant who only knew how to use beauty to serve others. What kind of 'gentlemanly' tactics and magnanimity did you expect from him? Without obtaining the Xin Kingdom's National Seal, the gains from this war would be cut in half, and with Zheng Qiao's temperament, he would naturally not let it rest..."
Hearing the words "National Seal" again, Shen Tang's eyelids subtly twitched: "Such a person's reign won't be stable." Qi Shan's earlier prediction that Zheng Qiao would die within five years, or Geng Kingdom would perish, was even considered conservative. With Zheng Qiao's current tyranny and viciousness, whether he could even last three years was a big question mark. He had also started a very poor precedent—indulging his subordinates in committing atrocities, burning, killing, and looting. Military discipline and loyalty were difficult to cultivate but easy to collapse.
Outside the teahouse, the Geng Kingdom soldiers, seeing that the teahouse proprietress was quite attractive, conceived evil thoughts. They exchanged glances, deliberately asking the proprietress for more tea. During the tea-serving, they touched her hand, put their arms around her waist, and some even tried to pucker their lips to kiss her, scaring the proprietress until her face went pale, making her shriek repeatedly. The soldiers roared with laughter.
"Soldiers, soldiers..." The teahouse owner tried to step forward to help his wife, but was slapped across the face, one side quickly turning red and swollen. "Get lost! Are you looking to die by spoiling my fun?!"
Crack— Qi Shan looked down at Shen Tang's hand. The tea bowl in her hand was crushed by her fingers. Fortunately, young lord Shen didn't angrily slam the table or charge out. Instead, with a cold face, she said, "If military discipline cannot be strictly enforced, these sharp blades that fight for Zheng Qiao and are driven by him will, sooner or later, due to their desires not being satisfied, develop resentment towards Zheng Qiao, and ultimately—turn against and devour their master."
Qi Shan, hearing this, looked up into Shen Tang's eyes. This was purely an intuitive action. Her gaze was too calm. So calm that it made one wonder if she was looking at a group of dying ants—this thought surfaced in his mind. Qi Shan experienced a momentary trance, using the action of drinking tea to conceal a certain subtle emotion: "But before that, who knows how many innocent commoners and perceptive individuals will perish... Alas, with the situation as it is... young lord Shen, what can you and I do? We can only be spectators."
"Yuanliang."
Qi Shan raised an eyebrow. Although young lord Shen always called him "Mr. Qi" or "Sir," which sounded respectful, he could tell whether it was genuine respect or false perfunctoriness. The "Qi Yuanliang" she blurted out in anger earlier was more authentic. Now directly calling him "Yuanliang"... He didn't feel offended; in fact, he felt a little anticipation.
"What is it?"
Shen Tang sat down, forcing herself not to pay attention to the commotion outside the teahouse—those soldiers were just harassing and taking advantage, and since they also had to escort prisoners, they likely wouldn't do anything more extreme. If she jumped out to "fight injustice," it would only bring trouble upon others. Thus, she could only distract herself, suppressing the frustration of being unable to do anything.
"I'm curious, who exactly are you?" Qi Shan knew too much. Furthermore, his timing of appearance was too coincidental. How much luck would Shen Tang need to encounter such an extraordinary person who knew everything, after a hellish start?
Who knew Qi Shan wouldn't answer, but instead tossed the ball back. "Before answering that question, shouldn't young lord Shen also reveal her true identity? That would show sincerity." And why did she possess the National Seal! He didn't ask this question, however, because he believed that with young lord Shen's cunning, she would surely understand his unspoken words—this was perhaps the unspoken understanding between the two of them.
Shen Tang: "..." This question was useless to ask her. If she had a basic safety net, possessing the original body's memories, would she still need to rely on Qi Shan to indirectly gather information?
"Who do you think I am, Yuanliang?" Shen Tang used a diplomatic, all-purpose evasive tactic. Playing rhetorical games, she could do that too! Who knew that after she spoke, Qi Shan would fall silent, his gaze so complex that she couldn't discern his thoughts. He suddenly sighed, "I thought... yes, Shen, your surname is Shen!" He didn't know what he had just realized, but his expression suddenly brightened!
Shen Tang was utterly confused, three question marks lighting up in her mind, but she couldn't show weakness on her face: "My surname is Shen, didn't Yuanliang know that already? Literary Heart doesn't lie, unless I have Yuanliang's skill at disguise." But—What's wrong with her surname being Shen?
His next sentence left her speechless.
"So, young lord, you are 'Gong Cheng'?"
Shen Tang: "..." Who is Gong Cheng? She suddenly really wanted to know what Qi Shan had deduced.
Qi Shan continued to speak, his gaze fixed on Shen Tang, recounting a rumor: "The Xin Kingdom ruler was fond of women and exceptionally callous towards them. Perhaps it was retribution, but for years he had only one daughter, the royal princess. Yet his affection for the princess was far less than his affection for Gong Cheng, the Gong clan's legitimate son. An opportune individual once suggested he make Gong Cheng the princess's consort, but the ruler sternly rebuked him and even demoted him... Thus, rumors spread in the marketplace..."
Shen Tang automatically completed the thought: "You mean—the Xin Kingdom ruler planted a field of green on the Gong clan leader's head? No, I mean he slept with the Gong clan leader's wife?" Gong Cheng is the Xin Kingdom ruler's son??? The Gong clan patriarch has been a cuckold for years???
Wait— Shen Tang suddenly froze, then after a long moment, she reacted. She looked at her own Literary Heart signature seal, then at Qi Shan, whose eyes were practically shouting "I've seen through your secret," and almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. She asked, trembling slightly, "The Xin Kingdom royal family's surname is..."
Qi Shan said, "Shen."
Qi Yuanliang's imagination is vast, but the truth...